16 January 2016

Mike Mularkey is the new Tennessee Titans head coach

(AJ Mast/AP)

The final NFL head coaching vacancy has been filled as the Tennessee Titans have opted to take the interim tag off of Mike Mularkey, making him the team's new head coach as first reported by Adam Schefter. Mularkey took over after Ken Whisenhunt was fired in early November and this will be his third head coaching job.

It has been four years since the Titans had a winning record and seven since they last made the playoffs. Will Mularkey be the coach to resurrect the franchise?

Let's be honest, this is a horrible hire and easily the worst one of the offseason. And, it is safe to say that fans are not exactly down with this hire:

Now I do understand that the ownership situation in Nashville is indeed a mess and may have prevented them from getting one of the big names in the coaching carousel. And sure, having some stability in place for Marcus Mariota makes some sense. But having a quarterback like Mariota, who looks well on his way to being a franchise quarterback, as well as the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, should have made this job one of the better potential meal tickets for coaches on the market.

However, the Titans didn't exactly cast a wide net as they only interviewed Mularkey, defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. No known overtures were made for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, former Eagles coach Chip Kelly or Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and don't forget, the playoffs are still going on! What was the rush?

And even with the stability argument, if maintaining stability means making somebody like Mularkey the head coach, the Titans should have looked else. Mularkey's career coaching record is 18-39, including a 2-7 record after replacing Whisenhunt this season, and he only has one winning record (his first season in Buffalo when his team blew a chance to get into the playoffs). He has proven himself to be a bad head coach and I have no reason to see that changing anytime soon.

The reaction to this hire has been so bad and the expectations for the team under Mularkey are so bad that some are wondering who will be in the mix to be hired to coach in 2017. But at least Mularkey has one thing going for him: